Taming the Author

23: Don't hover

When did you work as a waitress? Why did you kiss me so many times? Why did you go to the tree house? How did you meet Rupert? Do you like me?

All of those questions would have made my one chance to ask Loramina a question about her life worth while.

--But no. I had to be an idiot, suffer a mental block, and end up asking a pathetic question.

"Why 'Claus Lorewind'?"

She stared at me for a moment as if trying to figure out if I was serious. I was, but only because it was the only question that reached the finish line.

"You get one chance to ask me anything and you ask about my pseudonym?"

"Trust me," I said, sighing. "I regret it."

She smiled. "You're just so lucky, aren't you?" she teased. "It's not an interesting story. It was just the catchiest name I could find in my name."

I frowned. "You mean 'Claus Lorewind' is from your name?"

She nodded.

"But you don't have an 's' in your name," I said.

She smirked. "My name is Loramina Sorella Wilcourde. You still haven't read the blue book."

I took a deep breath and tried to smile. "I'm...working on it."

She shook her head, her eyes suddenly void of humor as she stared at the cards. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I already used up my chance to ask her a question.

"Your turn?" I asked.

"I think we should get to work now," she replied.

I stiffly nodded. It must have been that awful memory. It sneaked past me again!

Loramina gathered the cards and slipped it into its empty box, while I stood up from the carpet with the chapter and at the edge of her bed.

That was how we did our editing sessions, similar to when she was nursing her hairline fracture.

Amid picking up her laptop from the side table, she froze. I immediately thought she was going to leave me again so I called her name.

"Loramina?"

She blinked several times as if waking up from a trance. "Suppose I picked a Joker card," she said. "Can I ask you a question?"

I smiled. "Of course," I answered. "Ask away."

She stared at her laptop like a toddler about to confess her involvement in the mystery of the missing cookie. "Did you question God when He threw me at you? When you ended up working with me instead of Willow Finworth or Craig Philip?"

I thought for a moment, more to make sure that the answer at the top of my head was right.

"I did," I answered. "Like you said, it's normal. But I didn't hate Him. Claus Lorewind is my favorite author."

Loramina looked at me. "But I'm not Claus! I'm a short woman pretending to be a guy!"

I chuckled. "He's a side of you; one your many parts. And you're not just a short woman pretending to be a guy. You're a mysterious annoying midget effortlessly pretending to be a guy in your mesmerizing books. And I ask God every day what awesome thing I did to deserve a chance to meet you and be with you like this."

I watched a soft glaze fill her eyes and I wondered if I offended her in any way.

She wiped her eyes and shook her head. "You'll regret that," she whispered.